62 cal ball groups

[Intosomthin]

I own a 62 cal nwtr ( bored .625) that i worked up a "decent" load with .600 ball. I had the room, so i got a .615 mould. I used the same load as the .600, 70 grns 3f, nitro card over powder, .010 mink oil patched ball. It shot higher, no suprise got a tighter fit. Spread wasnt very impressive. Not a shock 1st time out, just askin for thoughts, prolly more powder less? Lose the nitro since it fits tight as hell,? Lose the patch n use shot card? I plan to test all, just wanting thoughts on sompin i may be missin. I prime with what i got, be it 4f 3f or god ferbid pyrodex, they all fire. I will "never" put pyrodex in bore, personal prefrence, no need to argue fellows...

 

[Intosomthin]

The white target is .615, the green one is .600. As u can see big diference

 

[Maven]

The white target is .615, the green one is .600. As u can see big diference

I've tried various diameter RB's (.597" - .598"; .600"; .618") in my NW Trade Gun with patches, with tow wads fore & aft, with hard OP + thin OS wads (with and without a felt grease wad) and find @ 25 yd., the patched .597" and .600" RB's do best. I had one reasonably positive experience using the .618" RB with tow wads*, but I couldn't repeat it. Search this sub-forum for my August posts on Tow Wads, Part 2 and Part III as you may find something of vale there.

 

[Intosomthin]

Ps, on a positive unrelated note, i swiched from 1 inch recomended flints to 3/4... made 1 hell of a diffy, no crash head on got the swipe n spark described in hard frizzen thread

 

[Intosomthin]

& to maven, patched damn near had to drive em in... so may try over under cards , as well as over under tow.

 

[hanshi]

I got acceptable groups at near 50 yards with a .606" bare ball. Best was a .600" ball and a .012" patch that wasn't "rifle tight". I've heard too tight doesn't do as well in a smoothbore like it does in a rifle. A .618" ball wouldn't even go down the clean barrel in my tight bore .62.

 

[Intosomthin]

After this trip, WAY TO GO BROKENNOCK!
Also thank you hanshi, on your thought of what you said Hanshi, about tight aint always right.
I tried BNs load of powder, over powder card, lubed fiber wad, ball, & 2 over shot cards. No patch. I used 70 grns 3f Goex, 4f in pan, same .615 ball weighed & culled to
358 - 360 grains.
Shoots high & left, but im interested in group, not where it hits.

 

[tenngun]

My 20, and my 28

 

[Brokennock]

I don't know why, it is counterintuitive after all, but, I seem to find my smoothbore accuracy to be better a little looser than a rifle would like. All the tight patched ball combos I tried with my smoothrifle ranged from unacceptable to okay but could be better. .615 bore and a .595 ball with .010 patch, or the wad method described above shot better than any tight patch/ball combo.

 

[tenngun]

Ml are funny, and smoothbores the funniest of the lot. A hundred shooters will have two hundred best answers

 

[Grenadier1758]

@tenngun, I think you have undercounted. It depends on the number of smoothbores that the shooter has. Each one can have one, two or more best answers.

It may depend on weather conditions, temperature, humidity and wind conditions. Sometimes I think phase of the moon has an effect.

 

[George]

I've noticed a strange thing. Whenever lists of reasons a smoothbore isn't grouping are published, and they are long and frequent, one item is seldom included....the shooter. Wonder why that is.

Spence

 

[tenngun]

Don’t know about others, but I know if I miss it’s always some other fault, bad sights, wind, phase of the moon, angles with weak bladders.... but never my fault

 

[Art Caputo]

Using Hanshi’s kind advice, I was able to get good results out of my .62 Fowler with 70gr FFFG, a .015’ patch/Mink Oil, and a .60 LRB that can be thumb started. No swabbing.

 

[toot]

all groups have bragging rites.

 

[olskool]

my 62 jaeger built by Stephen Zihn dose ok,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[hanshi]

Nearly a decade ago I fired a total of 8 shots at a 50 yard target using a .606" bare ball and 60 grns of 3F, then 75 grns and finally 80 grns of 3F. Still the 8 shots grouped about 5-1/4" which is plenty good enough to use in the field.

 

[olskool]

fellers I have to apologize, I did not realize I was posting in the "smooth bore" forum, the group I shot above is with a rifled gun! sorry I didn't mean to be misleading,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

[Intosomthin]

Lol at 25 - 50 id pit my .625 smothy against most rifles less 32 squirrel gun...thats the 22 of frontier...

 

[Intosomthin]

at 75, i cant see that far, over that u vot me,... if there kid nearby knows how to shoot, my money on him lol